OUR FUTURE HINGES ON THE LEADERS WE FOLLOW

Abstract

The author, Leader to Leader’s editor-in-chief, reflects on the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles, California area and broadens this into a discussion on what it means to be a leader and a follower in today’s digital age. She notes that there are many definitions of the word leader, and that at the “most basic level,” there is a definition from a 1996 essay by Peter Drucker, which includes these words: “The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers. Some people are thinkers. Some are prophets. Both roles are important and badly needed. But without followers, there can be no leaders.” Yet, she notes that in today’s social media-based culture, the word “followers” has taken on an additional meaning, with many millions of “followers” for athletes, actors, and other “influencers.” She further relates that “it is important to note that according to Drucker’s definition, these Instagram celebrities are in fact leaders in this relatively new era we call the Digital Age.” And that leaders’ “exceptional performance is rooted in their motivation to develop those around them and their focus is less about creating and enlisting more followers and more about creating more leaders for our organizations, our communities, and our countries of tomorrow.”